Show 01 i iI I Y A l lt t w wn t HOtO 3 T rn v k 1 N AN Q r r.- r. r A 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON TS T'S an early carly Easter this year for forI I Easter Sunday fulls falls ou on March 21 27 j. j Last year It came on April 3 and next nest year jear It will Aull come on ou April 16 10 For all the tIle red letter da days das s on our calendar Easter Is the most variable The only thing certain about it Is that It t always al- al ways wars comes on a n Sunday and It Is limited to either one of at two months March and April Then there are other limits too that Is It cannot come earlier than March 2 22 nor later than April 25 Why all nIl this tIlls variation In such an Important annual festival The reasons go o back Into ancient an an- cleat clent history The festival esth-al now known as ns Easter was celebrated celebrated celebrated cele cele- by ancient Israel as the tile Passover Passo for many centuries before the birth of ot Jesus Christ It was based upon the events which took place when the tIle Hebrews were saved from the destruction destruction destruction tion which was visited upon the Egyptians Egyptian as ns given iven In Exodus 12 1227 27 The first Christians beIng being beng be- be Ing ng In the main Jews continued for tor a long time timeto timeo to o observe the Passover as well as ns other ancient ceremonies But gradually these early followers of ot the tine Cross began to substitute the Christ for forthe forthe forthe the paschal lamb of Israel In the Passover cere cere- monies Eventually there arose a difference of ot opinion between the Christians of Hebrew descent and those hose of Gentile descent as to the time when these hese ceremonies should be celebrated Those I of Hebrew descent declared that the day of the death of Jesus should be the date of the ending of the he paschal fast which In Hebrew rites always was on the fourteenth day of at the moon In the evening e Therefore the Easter festival which followed might fall on any day of ot the week Those of Gentile descent however er wanted the first day of ot the week Sunday to be the first day of ot the tine resurrection festival Thus the Friday preceding would be observed as ns the date of f the crucifixion without paying an any attention to o the day of ot the tho month the fast continuing until midnight of Saturday The dispute over this point was complicated by y the Irregularities of tho the time of ot full moon In n relation to the year The Hebrew sacred year began egan nt at the instant of the tile vernal equinox but buthis this his time Is subject to slight changes due to the tie astronomical asb fact of perturbation of the motion motion mo- mo tion Ion of all nIl bodies In the solar system The Hebrews based their years on lunar changes whereas we now nov determine the exact length of ofa a year by the s sun sun n and stars which Is more accurate ac- ac curate It Is notable that the ancient Hebrews always had trouble with their chronology because because be- be cause ause they based the Ule beginning of each month on n the first sight of the new moon The trouble was principally due to the fact tact that hat the moon revolves around the earth In 27 days ays 7 hours 43 minutes and 11 seconds and the lie earth around the sun In seconds Therefore re the moon makes 13 revolutions to the he earths earth's one moon Full-moon times are also out of armony with the spring equinox and this fact caused aused trouble In determining time In ancient times Imes The result of or all these complications was that bat by applying the t-he Jewish rules to Easter the dates of the crucifixion and the resurrection two days ays which were supposed to be fixed for tor all nil time Ime varied constantly For years ears the difficulty between the Chris- Chris Ions of ot Jewish descent and those of ot Gentile descent continued Not being able to decide the recurrence of Easter aster tho the council of ot the ear early Christian church finally appealed to the astronomers astronomers astronomers astron astron- omers In Alexandria Eg Egypt Pt for aid ald However ho tho scientists were not of ot much assistance for tor they hey had bad no lunar tables such as we now have computed by master mathematicians They attempted attempted at- at tempted empted to make malc rules but the variations of the full ull moon In reference to tho the year jear ear would not cause Easter to fall tall on Sunday any more than any alit other day An All wanted It to come on Sunday so BO each nation celebrated to suit Itself so BO that It ft t would come on that day Thus In A. A D. D the he celebrated East Easter r on March 21 21 In Italy y It fell on April 18 IS and In Eg Egypt pt It fell on April 25 Eventually E the selection of ot a n certain Sunday Sunda was definitely fl fixed cd during the tho Sixth century A.D. A.D. A. A D. D X It was designated as ns the SUnda Sunday between the fifteenth and twenty first days of the moon In the first month of the Jewish lunar 1 years ears It was directed that the computation should be made according to the tables of ot Victorius of Acqui- Acqui alne taIne Introduced In l 7 A. A D. D Because of ot the tact fact that Britain had ceased to be n a part of ot the theRoman theRoman theRoman Roman empire the Sixth century decree did not affect the British church at nt first and amI It continued continued con con- to calculate Easter on a basis bass previously approved at Rome Home The matter was finally dis- dis a. a 9 wi O r f r. r ft t k 1 1 President Hoover greeting the crowd gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered for the annual Easter egg rolling roiling on the lawn of the White House 2 Sunrise services on Easter morning In n the Garden of th tl p Gods near Colorado Springs Colo 3 The Easter lily Illy one of the loveliest of al all Easter symbols 4 The Hollywood Bowl Hollywood Calif where an Impressive Easter morning service Is held every year V 7 posed of ot at a n synod held at Whitby In Yorkshire In n A. A D D. after which the clergy of at the British Isles conformed to the general g practice of ot the Ule western church Accordingly Easter Is now observed by both the tile Roman noman Catholic and Protestant churches churche on ou the first Sunday after the full moon or fourteenth fourteenth fourteenth four four- day of ot the moon on or next after March Marchi I 21 So It cannot be earlier than March 22 2 nor later than April 25 T hs It Is possible for the astronomers and mathematicians to tell In advance advance advance ad ad- vance on what dates Easter wIll come each year ear and they are now known for more than a century In n advance ance That Thai of or course Is s based upon the assumption that our calendar will continue unchanged But there Is a n possibility that some time within the next few fen years n a new new calendar system will be adopted and In that case Easter Sunday will be bea ben a n fixed date Instead of a n varIable one So In case youre you're Interested In In knowing what will be the Easter dates dates' for the next few years ears here the they are arc 1033 1933 April 16 1034 1934 April 1 1035 April 21 1030 1936 April 12 1037 March 28 1033 1938 April 17 l 1030 30 April 9 1040 1010 March 21 24 1041 1941 1 April 13 lD 1912 J April 5 1043 1013 April Il 25 1041 1941 1915 15 April 1 1940 1916 April 21 1017 1917 AprIl 6 G Mardi March MardiS S 28 1019 JD 1 April Avril 17 1050 1950 O April 9 0 Just as ns Easter Is now a variable date so has Ita It ita a n variable meaning to many different people To tho the child who cannot grasp Its religious significance significance significance sig sig- It means a n da day whose s symbols are rabbits rabbits rab- rab bits little chickens and and Easter Enster eggs s. To those children too who like to think of or any festival time Ime In terms of ot something good to eat cat Easter gaster time Imo means candy eggs gs candy rabbits an and other candy s symbols of the UIO day not to mention those fragrant sugary piles of or the mystically marked confection kno known n as hot cross buns How now did a n bakery product come to be associated asso asso- elated with Easter anyway anway It goes back hack to the days s 's of tho the ancient Saxons who worshipped Easter E ster ns as goddess g of the tho dawn daun wn and benign giver gl of new life Ufe with the coming conning of ot the vernal equinox equi- equi noX lov That was as long before they had mel ever er heard of or Christianity and the Resurrection In their jo joy loy at the return of at new life In the springtime they hey brought the tho Easter goddess oddes 3 their sweetest cakes at the same time eating great numbers of ot them hem themselves They Ther clung to this custom even after they hind hall embraced Christianity Some of the earl early ChrisIan Christian Chris- Chris Ian tian loader leader were a bit dubious of ot preserving such a relic of ot a heathen religion but some tolerant tolerant tolerant tol tol- tol- tol person who was also a n genius for compromise com com- promise suggested to the priests that they bless the he pagan cakes marking them wIth the thc cross Thus the lie Saxon Easter biscuit was m made fit tit for tor Christian consumption and for centuries afterwards afterwards afterwards after after- wards It was as felt that they the were endowed with some special spiritual quaIl qualities ties A few cross- cross buns baked on Good Friday not only would not molder as would other bread but if f kept throughout through through- out the year rear they would be an efficient medicine for various Ills when crumbled In a n cup of ot water and thus taken talen Into the bod body To most people Easter Enster means a time for coming com corn lag ing ng forth In new clothes and although some of ot our our philosophers have ha bewailed the extravagance of at the Easter style parade as a n sign n that we have ha lost the spiritual significance of the day In n reality It t Is In lu keeping with the essential spirit of Easter which Is shared by Christian and pagan alike It Is the Idea dea of ot resurrection tion of ot revived life Ilfe after apparent death It marks the climax of the year jear car when all nature awakes from sleep throws off the death like chill of winter and bein beings s to live anew With all nature pointing the wa way by bc bedecking herself In n new r raiment ment It Is only natural that mankind should celebrate the surge of new life by putting on new apparel So when milady appears at church on Easter Sunday in a new frock trocIe and a n new hat hint It Is not mere human vanity expressing Itself She puts them on because she must I She has responded to the fundamental Instinct by responding thus to the call of ot spring to the message of renewed life There Is an old British tradition that lint It Is good luck to wear something new on Easter Easterday Easterday da day but that Is a n mere outgrowth of the essential essential essen essen- Idea of the Eastertide Far as some of ot the s symbols of Easter and anti tier their meanings for different people may seem to be removed ed from the essential spirit of ot Easter the they are In reality not so far removed For all of at them are arc based upon the Idea of lon Uon and If resurrection Is s the spirit and the message of ot Easter then the Inmost essence of ot that spirit can be summed up tip In the one word immortality If It man can cnn find an answer to theold tho the old old question that has bus troubled him through the ages the question Does death end all nIl 2 he can find It In the message of ot Easter It Is reassurance reassurance reas reas- that he does not face a n hopeless task en Even If It he did not have ha the comfort of his religion re- re lIgon ligion to help him arrive at that belief he lie finds ItIn It ItIn itin In the tine mere more fact of ot living Each Ench day each year and each lifetime he sees the c cycle cle repeated The sun comes up In the morning and goes down Into darkness at night But nut he Knows that It will come como up again the next nest morning Each 21 2 1 hours he Ile sees th the miracle of ot resurrection New life Is manifest in the animal and vegetable kingdoms with each recurring I spring It ripens In the heat hent of ot summertime and mellows Into maturity In the tho th autumn only to o die In the cold of ot winter But nut he lie knows that life Ife will begin again next year ear Each 12 months he ic sees the lie miracle of resurrection A baby Is Ig Isborn isborn born passes through childhood grown Into late youth reaches mans man's estate and then declines Into Into old old age What If tho the darkness of ot death Is s only a matter of a n few years ears away lIe He has seen fleen the recurring miracle of resurrection every 24 4 hours and every ery 12 months Why should not man reasoning logically from this evidence of ot which he ic Is aware er e every ery day of or his life believe belie that the he cycle of or a lifetime Includes n a resurrection I just as docs does the dally cycle and anel the yearly i c cycle He docs does so believe and from that belief belIef comes his belief bellet In the life everlasting e In Im Im- mortality Perhaps It would be bo more moro accurate to sa say ho itc chooses to believe e. For few men of or an any have o o m over ever solved the riddle of at life to their utter sat- sat They Tiley constantly grope for tho the truth truths seeking seeking the answer to the unsolved unsolved un- un solved problems of life lite They Nave have the never never- I ending caching longing In their hearts for everlasting life and they choose to believe bellove and take comfort from rom the belief bellet that they shall have ha It So whether he be prImItive man or modern civilized man whether he be Christian ChrIstinn or heathen the he essential spirit of ot Easter the message of at Easter Is the tho same same same-It It Is s a messa message e of ot hope hODe a u message of jo joy and n a promise and a fulfillment In n one C by Wc western Newspaper Union Onion I |